Arthur thomas allen



(No Model.) TENT AND LAWN TENNIS PEG.

Patented Deo. 30, 189C. F/.

Not 443,560.

,ff/GLAv ma Noname Pneus col, viera-mno.. msnwmnw, im:4

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

ARTHUR THOMAS ALLEN, OF SIIEFFIELD, ENGLAND.

TENT AND LAWN-TENNIS PEG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,560, dated December30, 1890.

Application filed June 4, 1890. Serial No. 354,196. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHURTHOMAS ALLEN, a citizen of Great Britain,residing at Sheffield, in the county of York, England, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Tent and Lawn-Tennis Pegs andAppliances for Securing Cords, Ropes, Chains, Stays,Guys, andtheLikeTackle to the Ground, (for which I have obtained provisionalprotection in Great Britain on application No. 6,527, dated April 29,1890,) of which the following is a speciication.

My invention relates to improvements in tent and lawn-tennis pegs andappliances for securing cords, ropes, chains, stays, guys, and the liketackle to the ground; and the objects of my invention are to provide themeans by which cords, ropes, chains, stays, guys, and the like tackleImay be more rmly attached and secured to the ground than is' the casewith the appliances ordinarily employed, and although my invention isapplicable to a great variety of such purposes a description of it asapplied to a tent-peg will sufce to illustrate its general principlesand construction. I attain these obj ects by the mechanism illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 represents a front Viewof one of my improved tent or lawn-tennis pegs, the shank being shown inthe rst position in line with the blade. Fig. 2 is a side View of thesame. Fig. 3 is a side view of the shank when removed from the blade,Fig. et being a section of the same through the line A B. Figs. 5 and 6are front and side views of the blade removed from the shank, and Figs.and 8 are side and end views of the joint-pin by means of which theshank is attached to the blade. Figs. 9, 10, 11, and 12 are similarviews of a blade and pin, showing an alternative mode of constructionand method of securing the joint-pin to the blade. Fig. 13

represents my improved tent or lawn-tennis 'peg as it would appear inthe second position in the ground when in use, the dotted lines'representing the shank in the first position in line with the blade,the position in which it would be driven into the ground at an angle offorty-live degrees, or there-about, to the horizon.

The same letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

a is the blade.

b is the shank.

c is the hinged joint.

d is the eye, hook, or ring at the upper end of the shank, and e is thehole or eye for the joint-pin at the lower end of the shank.

f is a swell or projection, also formed at the lower end of the shank,by means of which it is prevented from moving out of line with the bladeon one side.

g g is the knife edge or edges of the shank.

h is the slot in the blade.

o' is the joint-pin.

j j are the longitudinal slots in the same.

7o k are the rivets or other equivalent fastenings.'

l is the bottom end ofthe slot.

lmJ m are the recesses or pouches formed in the blade as an alternativemethod for securing the pin.

The dotted lines n on Fig. 10 represent an alternative mode of securingthe pin to the blade by means of a cap or caps.

o is the back or rear side ot -the blade.

Tent-pegs, as is generally known, are small wooden pins which are driveninto the ground for securing the cords or ropes by which the canvas of atent is stretched and kept in 'position, and in Windy weather greatdiscomfort and inconvenience have been experienced through these pegsworking loose, and it has sometimes happened that a tent and even awhole camp has been blown down.

To obviate these defects my improved tentpeg is constructed as follows:It consistsof two principal parts-viz., a blade ct and a shank b-theshank b being attached at or near to the center of the blade ct by meansof a hinged joint c, which allows of the shank b being moved through vanangle of ninety degrees, or, say, from its first position when not inuse, Which is that of being in line with the blade a, to its secondposition when in use, which is that of a right angle or other convenientangle to the blade ct. The blade a I make in a variety of forms; but liind the `form of a spade welladapted for this purpose, and for atent-peg it may be made in thin plate or sheet metal. rlhe shank 7),which l also make in metal7 may be stamped, forged, cast, or otherwiseformed into the required shape. lt is provided with an eye, hook, orring (7 at its upper end and with a hole or eye c for the connectingorjoint pin 'i at its lower end. A swell or project-ion f is also formedat the lower end, by means of which it is prevented from moving ont ofline with theblade a on one side.

lVhen connected together and the shank t) is in the first position,(inline with the blade 11,) the appliance has the appearance of a smallspade or harpeon, and when in the second pon sition with the shank I) atright angles to the blade c it somewhat resembles asmall anchor orkedge.

The manner in which this appliance is used for a tent-peg or otheranalogous purpose is as follows: The blade a and shank t being in thefirst position, as already described, the blade a is forced into theground at an angle of forty-tive degrees with the surface or horizonuntil the shank Z is buried n p to or nearly up to its upper end,leaving the eye, hook, or

vring d abovegronml. The shank 7) is now pulled over to the oppositeangle, to facilitate which I form it with a knileedge y g on one orbothsides. rl`he blade o. thus remains at the angle at which it was iirstforced into the ground, and the shank 7), after being pulled over,occupies a position at a right angle, or thereabout, to the blade c, andin this position it is almost impossible to pull or cause the blade todrag, as the whole surface of; the blade a is in the direct line ofresistance.

lVhen it is desired to take up the appliance, the shank 7) is drawn backto the Iirst position, when it can be easily raised or drawn from theground.

From the description just given it will be seen that when my improvedappliance has to be forced or driven into hard ground, it is desirablethat the shank 71 should when in the first position be as fair in lineand central with the blade c as possible, and that 1 the jointpin andconnection should, so far as is consistent with strength, be asrestricted in size and of a form to offer as little resistn ance to theearth as possible, also, that when in the second position the pull onthe blade (t shall be as direct and as evenly distributed as possible.In order to effect these objects l construct the blade c with a slet 71.running in the direction of its length-1'. c., in line with the shankZ1, and of a width correspond ng to the width of the shank Z1. rl`hejoine pin if, by which the shank Z is attached to the blade 0,1construct of a piece of round metal of the same size 'in diameter as theeye e in the shank Zi. This pin z' l make long enough to extend somedistance across the blade a, and at each end of the pin forin a longitudinal slot jj, these slots being equidistant from the end of the pin ileaving the part which goes through the eye c of the shank 7; solid.lVhen the pin il has been inserted into the shank 7), the shank t) ispassed into the slot 7i. in the blade a, and the blade c is passed intothe two slots in the pin t', and when in position the pin is riveted ateach side to the blade a. rlhe pin t' in the eye cof the shank Z1 ismade an easy it,so that when it becomes necessary to use great force todrive the blade a into the ground the bottom end of the shank b willbear on the bottom of the slot 71, so as to relieve the stress from therivets 7cy 7;., which secure the pin to the blade u, the stop orprojectionfat the end of the shank 71 being, as has already beenexplained, so formed as to stop the shank 7J from being drawn out ofline with the blade u, except in one direction, which will be on theside on which the pull of the rope or other tackle will be received.

Among the other purposes to which my invention is applicable may bementioned a peg or stake for securing the stays of tele` graplrpoles orscaffolding, a stake for mooring boats or other craft to the shore, aground' anchor for securing the ropes or chains of a temporarysuspension bi-idgc, and many other similar uses.

As the nature of the strains to which such pegs, stakes, orground-anchors as herein described are subjected is increased, I construct the several parts on a larger scale, and in some cases, in lieuof making the blade o. of plate or sheet metal, it may be forged,stamped, cast, or otherwise formed of various thicknesses. For example,it maybe made thicker toward the center of the blade and thinner as itapproaches the outer edges ot' the saine.

As an alternative method of securing the jointpin rto the blade o, inlieu ot' forming the slots j y' in the pin t' for the reception of theblade a, l form recesses or pouches m m in the blade a, one on cach sideof the longitudinal slot 7i, such recesses er pouches m m being stamped,pressed, cast, or otherwise formed to a depth and size equal to halt thediameter of the pin i. Into these recesses fml m the pin ff, after it isfitted into the eye c of the shank t), is laid and secured either bycaps or by rivets or otherwise.

When the above method is employed, the pin if would be placed at whatmay be called the back or rear side o of the blade d that is, theopposite side to which the pull or stress on the shank b is receivedwhen in use,

llaving fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secureby Letters Patent is l. In Va tent or lawn-tennis pcg,tl1e combinationot a shank with longitudinallysharpened edges, with a pointed blade witha slot cut from its upper edge to its center to allow one end of saidshank to be pivoted ITO at or near said center, substantially as setforth.

2. In a tent or lawn-tennis peg, the combination of a shank withlongitudinallysharpened edges, a pointed blade with a ,slot cut from itsupper edge toits center to allow one end of said shank to be pivoted ator near said center, a pin upon which said shank is pivoted and havingits ends secured to said blade on each side of said slot near the 1ocenter, and a shoulderl on said shank below its pivotal point,substantially as set forth. ARTHUR THOMAS ALLEN. lVitnesses:

P. HEBER RADFORD, ALBERT FRANCE.

